Reclosable carton



May 16, 195o w. A. RINGLER REcLosABu-z ARToN Filed Feb. 23. 1946 y NVENTOR. Munn .4 n/62E@ BY ATTORNEYS.

Panaa May 1e, 195o uNl'lEu s'lll'rizs PATENT OFFICE aEcLosAnLa cAn'roN william A. amm. wam, ra, www u m Gardner Board and Carton Co., a corporation of 0h10 Application February 23, 1846, Serial N o. 849,628

`It is an object of my invention to provide a formed therein, but also having means for `positively retaining the closure in closed position It is an object of my' invention to provide a i carton having these advantages which nevertheless. as produced by the carton manufacturer and as used by the packager of materials, is in the form 'of the familiar seal-end carton, is capable of being closed or sealed with as tight a Vclosure initially, is capable of renderingmthe sameprotection offgcods in transit or storage, and requires noA extra operations in manufacture; lling and closing. f

These and other objects of my invention which will be set forth hereinafter, .or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these speciiications, Iv accomplish by that structure and arrangement of parts of which I shall now disclose an exemplary embodiment. This embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying vdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank for producing the carton of my exemplary embodiment. Figurel2--is a plan view of the tubed blank or carton in knocked down condition.

Figure 3 is a'.i perspective view of the opened carton. i e

. Figure 4 is a'perspective view of thecarton in reclosed condition.

In the exemplary embodiment ton having enclosing""body walls I, 2, 3 and I, and a glue ap 5 articulated together by the usual scorey lines. The body walls are -provided with seal-end flaps 6, 1, 8 land 9, at one end, and their primedcounterparts at the other-end. The score line articulating the seal-end ilaps 6 to 8 to the respective body walls, is indicated at III. A similar scoreline articulates the flaps to I .fthe body walls at the other end of the carton.

. The flap 'I is provided with an intermediate score line Il, and the flap 9 is provided .witha line of weakeningy I2, these lines rbeing so placed in' the several flaps as to come into coincidence when the flaps are folded Ain the operationof closing the carton.

A line of weakening I3 extends diagonally downwardly in the-body wall 2, from the end of the score line II in the flap 1. A similar line of weakening I4 extends diagonally in the opposite direction in the body wall 4,'from the end 'of me une of weakening lz in the nap s. A

line ofweakening I5 extends across the body wall l, at the end of the line of weakening I3,

'1 calms. (c1. zza-ri) t and parallel to the score linell. The glue ilap 8 is weakened or preferably cut across as at I8, at the same level as the line of weakening I5.

This forms a tab Il at the end of the glue flap.

The glue nap is provided with an extension I8 of substantial length articulated to it along a score'line I9. At the level of the cut line `I6 I transversely score this extension as at 20, so that v at the upper end of the extension there is a portion 2| at the level of the tab I1, but severed from it as shown. The extension I8 is carried above thelevel of the score line III to form a pref- I provide a car- Y erably rounded tab 22, demarked from the portion 2I by a transverse score line 23. The closure nap 9 is cut away as at 24 in an area similar in shape'to the tab 22.

The carton blank illustrated in Figure 1 may be handled and tubed in the usual fashion and on the usual carton tubing mechanism. Suitable adhesive is applied by a glue striper or equivalent mechanism, to the glue flap 5 including its tab Il, no adhesive being applied however, to the glue flap extension I8. Then the carton is tubed by being folded iirst along the line of articulation between body walls 3 and 4, and next along the line of articulation between body walls I and 2. This folding, and the ensuing pressing results inthe adherence of the glue ap 5 to the under side or inside of the free edge of body wall I, giving the tubed structure illustrated in Figure 2.

'I'his structure is in form a seal-end carton which may be erected, closed on one end, filled and closed on the other in the ways hitherto current in the art, and ,without change in either process or mechanism. Either end of the carton may, if desired, be sealed over a mandrel as is folded, and that flap 9 is the intermediate flap over which flap l, as the nal or outside flap, is folded. Theglue ilap extension I8 lies within the carton and inthe closed package is concealed from view. The act of folding over the ilap 6 under which the tab 22 lies, will result in this tab being folded. m It will be understood that parts, I8, 2| and 22 are not adhesively secured.

The carton, in the hands of the ultimate consumer, may readily be opened by fracturing the body walls .I, 2 and l along the weakened lines I3, Il and I5, whereupon a portion of the top of the carton may be raised as a lid. as illus- 3 trated in Figure 3. The score line I I in flap`1 serves as a hinge for this lid; andthe weakened line I2 in flap 9 enables this flap to break, as

i may be required for easy opening. The top panel of the lid structure is formed of ap 6 and portions of iiaps l and 9, as will be clear. The tab I1 remains in adhesive union with the upper 'portion of the body wall I, so that the top structure has integrated side and front walls formed essentially of portions of body walls I, 2 and 4. When the carton is opened, portions 2| and 22 of the glue iiap extension will project upwardly as shown in Figure 3. A portion of the contents of the carton may now be dispensed.

The carton may now be reclosed for the protection of the remainder of its contents by swinging the lid downwardly. In doing this the portions 2| and 22 of the glue flap extension arebrought outwardly of the carton. The lid may be locked in closed position by inserting the tab 22 in the recess between iiaps 6 and 1, formed by the cut-out 2l in the intermediate ap. The carton is shown in Figure 4 in reclosed and locked condition.

To increase the ilexibility of the upper end of .the glue ilap extension, I may form as at 25, a

slit at the upper end of the score line I9.

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit of it. It will be understood that the size and shape of the carton itself form no limitation upon the exemplary embodiment. While I have shown a carton with seal-end aps at both ends, it will be understood that a diierent closure may be employed upon one of the ends if desired. My construction may be embodied in cartons having any of the features ordinarly employed with seal-end structures without interference therewith. The size of the lid portion is likewise not a limitation. Since by configuring and placing the weakened lines I3 and I4, the size of the lid may be varied as desired, even to the extent of causing the entire top of the carton to form a lid hinging upon a score line at the upper end of or within the body wall 3; but it is usually preferred that the lid, per se, be small in area since such lids form tighter closures upon reclosing.

Having thus described my invention in an exemplary embodiment, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A blank for a carton of the class described comprising enclosing body walls and a glue flap in articulation forming a structure capable of being tubed, seal-end aps on the ends of said enclosing walls, and an extension on said glue flap providing a portion capable of projecting above the tops of the said enclosing walls, contiguous ones of said enclosing walls having lines of weakening therein on which said Vwalls may be broken to form a lid for opening the carton, said glue flap extension being located at a place of opening, normally lying within the closed carton but being capable of swinging outwardly to come outside the said lid upon reclosure thereof.

2. A blank for a carton of the class described comprising enclosing body walls and a glue iiap in articulation forming a structure capable oi being tubed, seal-end ilaps on the ends of said enclosing walls, and an extension on said glue flap providing a portion capable of` projecting above the tops of the said enclosing walls, contiguous ones of said enclosing walls having lines.

of weakening therein on which said walls may be broken to form a lid for opening the carton, said glue flap extension being located at a place of opening, normally lying within the closed carton but being capable of swinging outwardly to come outside the said lid upon reclosure thereof, an intermediate one of said seal-end flaps having an end lying contiguous to said glue ap cut away to provide in the closed carton a recess for accepting a projecting end portion of said glue ilap extension. 4

3. A blank for a carton of the class described comprising enclosing body walls and a glue ap in articulation forming a structure capable of being tubed, seal-end flaps on the ends of said enclosing walls, and an extension on said glue iiap providing a portion capable of projecting above the tops of the said enclosing walls, contiguous ones of said enclosing walls having lines of weakening therein on which said walls may be broken to form a lid for opening the carton, said glue ap extension being located at a place of opening, normally lying within the closed carton but being capable of swinging outwardly to come outside the said lid upon reclosure thereof, an intermediate one of said seal-end flaps having an end lying contiguous to said glue flap cut away to provide in the closed carton a recess for accepting a projecting end portion of said glue flap extension, said glue ap being severed to provide a tab which is free at the level of one of said lines of weakening.

4.l In a carton, a plurality of body walls and a glue iiap in articulation and forming a tubed structure in which said glue I'lap is adhered to one of said body walls, seal-end iiaps on said body w-alls capable of'being interfolded and adhesively secured to form a closure for the carton, a plurality of contiguous` walls of said carton including the one to which said glue flap is attached, having lines of weakening whereby these walls may be severed to form an openable lid, said glue flap having an extension with a portion capable of projecting above the ends of said body walls, said glue ap also having a severed tab in the area of said lid, said tab being adhesively secured to a severable portion of a body wall, whereby to integrate side walls of said lid, an intermediate one of said closure aps having a recess to accept an end of said glue ilap extension for locking purposes.

5. A carton including a blank cut and scored to provide a tubular body with enclosing body walls and -closure flaps, said carton having lines of weakening in contiguous body walls thereof upon which said body walls may be broken to provide a hinged lid raisable to open the carton, and a strap-like member affixed to one of said contiguous walls below the line of weakening therein and of a length to extend beyond the top of the wall, said strap-like member having an end portion adapted to `be bent into the plane of the top of said carton as formed by said closure flaps, said strap-like member being formed as part at least of a flap integral with said blank and folded against the said body wall to which said strap-like member is affixed. 6. A carton including a blank cut and scored to provide a tubular body with enclosing body walls and closure aps, said carton having lines of weakening in contiguous body walls thereof upon which said body walls may be broken to provide a hinged lid raisable to open the carton,

and a'strap-like member afxed to one of said contiguous walls below the line of weakening therein and of a length to extend beyond the top of the wall, said strap-like member having an end portion adapted to be bent into the lplane of the top of said carton as formed by said closure aps, an intermediate one of said closure flaps having an edge lying along the top of the contiguous body wall to which said strap-like member is aixed, which is cut away to form. with adjacent aps. a siot into which said end portion of said strap-like member may be inserted to hold said carton closed.

7. The structure claimed in claim 6 wherein said lid is hinged at the top ot the carton along a line transverse certain closure naps thereof.

WILLIAM A. RINGLER..

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,470,705 Zalkind Oct. 16. 1923 f 1,907,067 Hartmann May 2, 1933 1,947,865 Marsh Feb. 20, 1934 Rous Oct. 5, 1943 i 

